Swami in Bigg Boss?
One would think the ‘swami’ would have better things to do.
Ohhhh Samiyov!!! En ippudi?
Ancient Wisdom
This is something which I have been continuing to realize to be true over the past years… and it never ceases to show me new dimensions in the every day world.
Bhagavad Gita 2.62
dhyāyato viṣayān puḿsaḥ sańgas teṣūpajāyate
sańgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho ‘bhijāyate
TRANSLATION
While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.
Bhagavad Gita 2.63
krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ sammohāt smṛti-vibhramaḥ
smṛti-bhraḿśād buddhi-nāśo buddhi-nāśāt praṇaśyati
TRANSLATION
From anger, complete delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into the material pool.
(Text and translations are from Vedabase)
A walk today
After a tryst with my allergies last weekend, I decided to spend some time in the sun today, given the 2 day holiday at work. I had not gotten a chance to do this kind of walk for a couple of months now.
A 15min walk took me to the popular bookstore nearby, where I spent about 45mins roaming here and there until I got my hands on an interesting book. The place was crowded… kids everywhere, mothers talking to their kids in some sort of english (seriously, some moms take this thing too far… talking in english is a status symbol still, I guess).
On the way back, I chose to walk home in a different route, along an arterial road which was not actually not that crowded in the early noon hours.
I usually observe anything and everything… observe in the sense “notice something, register it and move on”. So here I was on the road, observing the guards of a High Security building, the blue riot control vehicle stationed nearby, 2 ladies in blue overcoats sitting inside a protected glass enclosure, an armored security cam and… BANG!
I was rudely shocked by the sounds of a 2 wheeler crashing in to a wayside tree and pavement. The driver and the pillion rider were both thrown to the ground… looks like an autowallah rammed in to the back of the bike. The driver of the bike suffered a sprain to his ankle, but the pillion guy had a small cut below the left eye, and was rolling on the pavement with his palm on his chest.
The driver got up and started slapping and beating the autowallah… and 3 more people joined in. I was some distance away and started walking fast towards them. Another bike rider raced by me, stopped near the crowd and rescued the autowallah. Looks like the auto driver was not well, and he lost control of the vehicle. Expletives filled the air… I wanted to check if the guy on the pavement was fine or if he needed an ambulance, but he got and up started walking alright. I asked the 2 guys in the midst of the confusion if they wanted to see a doctor right away… there was a hospital nearby that they can go to in the same auto, but the 2 guys ignored me straight… and were bent on threatening the auto driver. I saw that there was no further point in me standing there.
So I continued walking… crossed a bus stop with just 3 people waiting, a tea stall where a fresh load of samosas was just being unloaded, a small slum alley to the side at the entrance of which there were a couple of women keenly looking for lice in their hair (as well as one of their daughters’).
As I neared the turn I needed to take to get away from the main road, I noticed a modern-looking, plump girl, dressed in tight blue jeans and a black kurta type tops… only I was left wondering what the purpose of the dress was. There was this famous chat place in the corner in to which I just popped in to check if I can buy something interesting, but changed my mind almost right after I looked at the menu (nothing wrong with the menu, I just decided that I would go back home and have a proper lunch instead).
I reached home, had a good lunch and started reading my new book… only to drift in to sleep in an hour or so.
It was a good walk today.
To hang or not to hang
There has been much hue and cry about granting mercy to the 3 persons in jail convicted in the gruesome murder of Rajiv Gandhi.
A girl immolated herself and died protesting the rejection of mercy petition by the President. There have been several hunger strikes (biriyani and sarakku (liquor) will be served at the end?) and protests being held here and there. The Tamilnadu assembly passed a resolution asking the President to reconsider the mercy petition, the High Court stayed the hanging for about 8 weeks, on legal grounds, mainly being focused on the 10+ year delay in the decision on the mercy petition.
The senile old man of TN as well as other Tamil groups have also taken up this cry for mercy… obviously, a political stunt. “Rajiv Gandhi would have spared death row convicts”… this is one of the statements given by a person who is the personification of Rationalism. How did he know this? Did he approach a psychic or a medium and talk to Rajiv Gandhi from the netherworld? Others call for mercy on humanitarian grounds, some arguing that death sentence itself should be abolished.
The case of Afzal Guru was also pulled in to this mess by Kashmir’s CM, Mr. Omar Abdullah. Of course this is a “democrazy”… so people can always claim what they want… that the trial was a farce, evidence was fabricated and so on. It is only expected that when someone gets a ruling that they don’t like, they always cry out calling the trial being biased and unfair.
To hang or not to hang terrorists… that is the question. Actually, there is no question… some of these idiots who are creating this scene just make it look like they are all purest in their intentions and are actually so softhearted.
A proven crime must be punished. This sort of dilly dallying will only reduce the trust people have in the system.
To people who claim capital punishment is barbaric and must be abolished… so is murdering or blowing people to pieces or bombing places!
Hang the terrorists, child molesters, rapists, arsonists, land aggressors, kidnappers, assassins… show no mercy. Oh, and please hang the Kasab guy too. I don’t want my tax money to be spent on fattening that butcher.
Nithy… unna kavuthutaanga pa!!
Hehe… sooper appu!
Godman? I think not… this new revelation is astounding! I wonder if Nithyananda really wanted to give this impression to his foollowers.
A medical doctor has certified that his ‘bodily features’ resemble those of a child between one and six years old.
The documents attested that the godman’s body was like that of a child between one and six years old, and that he could not have forced anyone to have sex with him.
Is this supposed to assure his ‘female’ disciples that they can be gujals with him without fear of rape? What kind of nonsense is this?
New Year and Parties
New Year.
Nowadays its just another reason for young and old people alike to freak out, get drunk and make a fool of themselves.
The newspapers are full of crappy (even creepy in some cases) advertisements for hotels and resorts which are planning for such parties. The rates that are mentioned are ridiculous in some cases.
I would probably never understand the ‘fun’ involved in this sh**.
In any case, for everyone… Happy New Year in advance!
Perfect example of Hypocrisy
Karunanidhi cutting cake for Christmas
MK is at it again
“Verdict on Ayodhya will satisfy both communities” – (From DNA India)
“Aryan culture has succeeded in planting superstitions in people’s minds, while even truthful aspects of Dravidian history remain unknown” – (From TOI)
Time to retire, thaatha (Grandpa).
Me thinks that if not for his chief minister post, circle of slaves and the added benefits of getting placed in the government like it is a private company, his wives, sons and daughters would have disposed him a long time ago.
Nithyananda’s ‘devotees’ file complaint
Lol! So basically, Nithyananda’s foollowers (no typo here!) are thinking that there is nothing wrong with being bogus, but want Lenin to be punished because he managed to get the proof for Nithy’s ‘gujals’.
This is going to be an interesting debate.
Was Nithyananda, a human, wrong to satisfy the urges of his senses? Probably not.
Was Nithyananda, a sannyasi, wrong to lie with a woman, while projecting himself to be a brahmachari to the world? Absolutely.
Was Mr. Lenin wrong to invade on the privacy of another person? Yes.
Was he wrong in trying to expose the falsity of a bogus sannyasi? I would say No.
Choices and perspective.
Food, food everywhere, not a bite to eat…
It has been a very long time since I posted anything. Work, family… nuff said.
My new job has me traveling quite a bit overseas. Being a vegetarian, I did expect that ‘eatable’ food would be a bit hard to get. But I didn’t expect it to be this hard.
I am in a place (won’t mention where) which brims with ‘food’ all around but if I ever need to get something to eat, I have to spend 2 minutes explaining what I want and what ingredients should not be used. The only places where I can confidently step in are some of the few Indian run restaurants, but even there I keep a wary eye to ensure the waiters don’t accidentally mix something in my food which I cannot have.
These folks don’t have an idea of food without meat, fish or eggs. Every single damn food item, even rice, has some thing mixed in it. The range of stuff that ends up on these folk’s plate would put a normal Indian non-vegetarian to shame. I have actually seen my colleagues, who claim to eat anything that walks, flies, crawl or swim, have second thoughts at trying some of the food choices. And not knowing the local language makes things worse.
The hotel I stay in claims to be the newest, finest hotel in town but there is not one item in the hotel’s menu (except juices, fruits and grain bread) that does not contain meat. I never had this problem even when I lived in USA for a couple of years.
Can’t wait to get back home. Sad part is my trips are not over yet.
Another ‘research’ overstated, wasted
Our scientists have proven, once again, that they are extremely good at sensationalism too!
Re-engineer a ‘cell’ and claim it as having created ‘life’.
A more diverse opinion here.
World Classical Tamil Conference Theme Song
A R Rahman’s music is fine, but the song by itself doesn’t live up to being ‘THE THEME SONG’ for such a purported WORLD conference.
‘Miracle doc’…
Well, about time. I have seen this guy’s advertisements in various magazines.
2 words to describe the things that were claimed by this guy, like being the messiah and that he will help avert a nuclear war and such.
Delusional crap!
Nithy nonsense
I wanted to put up an article on the recently, publicly disgraced Nithyananda (no Paramahamsa, no Swamiji… fair enough, I guess).
I had absolutely no interest in this guy even when he was writing articles left and right on several magazines. But I wanted to do some research in to this guy before putting up a post.
And I came across this text which was supposedly in one of the multitude of banners on the highways near Mysore…
I am not here to prove that I am God. I am here to prove that You are God.
I stopped reading after that one and decided this guy was not worth my time to write about.
But I still decided to put this post up so that I can display one of the most stupid captions I have seen in a long time.
Amusing news for me!
I just happened to come across the news that Prof. Periyardasan, a well known ‘Periyarist’ atheist and TV personality, had embraced Islam. I was late in catching this news since I was very busy in moving back to my hometown and starting at a new job.
I personally have no sympathy towards the ideals of Periyar and his followers in the D.K (Dravidar Kazhagam). While doing my bahcelor’s degree, I had unfortunately been forced to be in the audio vicinity of these fools spewing their anti-brahmin and anti-hindu vitriol in the guise of atheism (Seriously, your ears will bleed at the words these people used. Curiously enough, nothing was said (mocked?) about Islam or Christianity! Probably because the speakers feared losing their lives?)
Now, it is amusing how a person such as Periyardasan would have had the change of heart now, steeped in so called rationalism all these years, to embrace Islam. The more amusing news is that this latest conversion comes AFTER he became and stayed a Buddhist for sometime. That’s a confused mind there, I say. A LOT of confusion.
I wonder how he will face all those people with whom he would have debated for his belief over all these years.
Aman ki Asha?
Tamasha!
Yet another case of trying to superficially cover up the wound which is festering.
“Peace efforts between India and Pakistan are the real need of the hour and only prudence, foresightedness and sincerity can do wonders for both countries. In this people of India communicate with the people of Pakisthan.” This was stated by former federal minister for information, Javed Jabbar while addressing a seminar held on “Indo-Pak Peace Prospects” at the Department of International Relation (IR), University of Karachi (KU), under its programme on Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution. Jabbar, a veteran media personality and analyst, was of the view that India being a bigger country in the region needs to give more leverage to smaller states like Pakistan.”
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aman_ki_Asha)
My first reaction was ‘WTF!?’. Leverage? Like what? Giving away Hyderabad to Pakistan because some fool claims it so?
An uncontrolled army, a political base which is a even bigger joke than what is in India, and terrorists who are freely moving about (include the ISI in this)… and these people want to ‘talk’ with whom?
Ummm… uhhh
Now, don’t let the dirty mind’s imagination run wild.
I
I think
I know
I understand
Therefore I am
Not what I understand
Not what I know
Not what I think
Encore?
So, Telengana is now on backburner, for all practical reasons and purposes.
But my bet is that Mr. KCR will not try another fast-unto-death.
Once bitten, twice shy! What a mockery!
I am extremely skeptical on how this formation of a new state will benefit the tiny villages and farmhands who toil day and night. The only people who will gain are these damned politicians!
Phew!!
Okhil Chandra Sen wrote this letter to the Sahibganj divisional railway office in 1909. It is on display at the Railway Museum in New Delhi.
Oi... wait for mee!!
Now we know why the British Raj introduced the loo on trains!
Employee vs. Employers…
Tortured Wipro techie takes bosses to court
I am not going to make any judgments on the complaint raised… but the comment section is an interesting read. Tells you a lot about people these days.
2012 – it’s just a film, but…
Christianity Today expressed concerns with the film showing the St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and the towering Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio being destroyed, while not portraying the destruction of landmarks associated with non-Christian religions. (From Wikipedia)
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/movies/reviews/2009/2012.html
Quote from the above link: On the other hand, if Emmerich is going to specifically show the Vatican leadership going down with St. Peter’s, I want to see Catholic (and/or Orthodox) bishops among the survivors—somewhere on the planet. The Church must continue, and while a Protestant with a Bible may be good to carry things on, Catholics need the succession of bishops. 2012 doesn’t say that there aren’t bishops among the survivors, but if Emmerich can kill ‘em onscreen, he could have let some live onscreen.
*SIGH*
It’s just a film.
MNS MLA from Maharashtra!!!
The one in the red circle… he was one of the 4 MLAs suspended for manhandling Abu Azim Azmi for taking oath in hindi and not marathi.
Politicians or Hooligans?
Looks more like a goonda from a tamil film. Just look at the amount of jewellery he is wearing! Lol! And to top it, I am told he is from Uttar Pradesh, not a marathi ‘manoo’!
Nothing!
What did Indians of the past discover? Nothing! Nothing!
What happens to stuff…
Anyone who is concerned about our lives in this world should take a look at the video here. It is about 20mins long.
It’s just a coincidence that I just touched upon this topic in the very previous post.
How did it come to this?
Why do we have to struggle so much to get our basic needs? People struggle everyday for years, claiming that they do so for the welfare of their children. In that pursuit, we take almost everything for granted, right from availability of grains and water to the fact that we will live on until a certain age. The moment something goes wrong, the express of life comes to a jolting halt.
We all work for a living… all the time, at offices, workshops, on the move, at night. We are connected to the web of information even when flying or on a remote island.Yet we don’t have time to sit down with our near and dear, why, even one’s own children when they need us most. Both parents are away at work when this poor child is kept silent watching pokemon or Ninja turtles on TV. And when the teachers complain that the kid had beaten up another or broken stuff throwing them around, the parents’ ire is shown on the kids!
Corporations spring up like weeds overnight and claim to provide ‘better products’!! Cut throat competition is seen as a virtue. Getting to the top spot in the market, by hook or crook, is considered an ideal worth anything in this world, even if it costs one’s health, family or even life. Greed knows no end, yet in the name of development only greed is getting developed. Why do we need 40 different brands of electric toothbrush or mattress? How does it matter whether you travel in a Benz or an Alto, when in the end all you want is to reach your office? We see ‘we love our customers’ in supermarkets…. but NO!!, they love our credit cards! End of the quarter… oh, this deal needs to be done… revenue targets, beat the sales figures.. consumerism… consumerism… consumerism. This is consuming this world slowly and surely.
Why do we have to be like a machine, devoid of basic feelings of companionship to our fellow living entities? Why can’t we lead simpler lives? When did life become so complex that we get need counseling on the art of living? When did we become so hard at heart that we don’t stop to help an injured man or animal on the road? When did we become so short sighted that we would stand on the branch of a tree yet start hacking at the root?
Where is the purpose to this life? What are we doing here? How did it come to this?
For the greater good…?
Found this in one of the comments on a blog.
“Now, there are many animals and plants suffering here for our research. Do I invoke christianity? No, sometimes for the greater good you may do researcher on cancer on rats or brain monitoring of monkeys.”
My first reaction was simply ‘wtf’. I think he meant for ‘greater money’, perhaps. Why don’t these people test stuff like these on themselves?
Who gives them the bloody liberty to harm another living being and take everything on this good earth for granted?
Congress Govt….? Zzzzz…
Wake up, you morons!! You fools are squabbling over which portfolios to give to which party, when other countries playing ‘inky, pinky, ponky’ on our country’s lands for choosing which one to take.
Do you see Kashmir or Arunachal Pradesh in India? This map is found in some place in China.
India Redrawn 
Ball of karma
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8337182.stm
That’s a 101kg ball of karma right there!
*sigh*… the things that people do for achieving their 1 page of fame.
Mozhi… repost
Just saw the movie “Mozhi” again today. As usual, this is one of the very few tamil movies that I have sat down watched without regret. I translated the song “Kaatrin mozhi…” from this movie a long while ago… felt like reposting it.
Is the wind’s language sound or music?
Is the flower’s language color or scent?
Is the ocean’s language waves or froth?
Are the eyes or lips the language of love?
If nature’s languages can be understood,
Human languages are not needed!
If the heart’s languages can be understood,
Humans need no language!
When the wind blows, there are no directions!
When love speaks, there are no languages!
Silence cannot be understood like spoken words!
Words spoken by Eyes, even God doesn’t know!
For the blowing wind, a shape cannot be painted!
The languages of love do not fit in cage of sounds!
The speech of skies emerges as droplets!
The speech of rainbow emerges as colors!
When truth loses its voice, tears become the language!
When femininity loses its voice, shyness becomes the language!
The time when sound sleeps, stars become a language!
In a heart where desire sleeps, every movement becomes a language!
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